JPH07397A - Ultrasonic diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic system concurrently displaying the dynamic image of the original image and the dynamic image of the zoom image when the specific area of the original image of the obtained tomographic image is zoom-displayed. CONSTITUTION:Multiple light zoom means 11a, 11b averaging and thinning the sample data of images in response to different display magnifying powers and multiple memory means 12a, 12b written with the thinned image data, respectively, are provided at the internal components of a DSC 6, and images having different display magnifying powers are concurrently displayed as dynamic images. When a specific area of an original image is zoom-displayed, for example, the dynamic image of the original image and the dynamic image of the zoom image can be concurrently displayed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which obtains and displays a tomographic image of a diagnostic region in a subject by using ultrasonic waves, and particularly when the specific region of the original image is zoomed and displayed. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of simultaneously displaying a moving image of an image and a moving image of a zoom image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of this type is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a probe 1 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in the subject.
And an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit 2 for driving the probe 1 to transmit an ultrasonic wave and amplifying the received reflected echo signal.
, A phasing circuit 3 for inputting a received signal from the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving section 2 to focus the beam, and a detection circuit 4 for performing signal compression and envelope detection on the output signal from the phasing circuit 3.
And an A / D converter 5 for digitizing the output signal from the detection circuit 4, and a digital for writing and reading the image data from the A / D converter 5 in the storage means and converting the coordinates for image display. Scan converter (DS
C) 6 and the display device 7 for displaying the image data from the DSC 6. The ultrasonic wave transmission / reception unit 2 transmits a transmission wave pulse to the probe 1 to generate ultrasonic waves from a built-in vibrator, and a reflection echo signal from the diagnostic region received by the vibrator. And a receiving amplifier 9 for amplifying Further, reference numeral 10 indicates a control circuit for controlling the operation of each of the above components.

The internal structure of the DSC 6 in the above conventional apparatus is, as shown in FIG. 4, a light zoom means for averaging and thinning out image sample data from the A / D converter 5 in accordance with the display magnification. 11 and
A frame memory 12 for writing the image data after the thinning, a coordinate conversion circuit 13 for reading out the data of the frame memory 12 in accordance with a memory address of the display coordinate system, and performing coordinate conversion, and a space for performing pixel interpolation by this coordinate conversion. It comprises an interpolating means 14 and a synthesizing memory 15 for writing the image data after this pixel interpolation onto a memory address and storing an image for one frame.

In order to display a specific area of a certain original image in a zoom form with the above-mentioned device configuration, as shown in FIG.
The control circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 shows a specific zoom area Az and its display magnification for the original image I ₀ as a moving image shown in FIG.
4 to send a signal to the coordinate conversion circuit 13 in the DSC 6 shown in FIG. 4 to specify the zoom image Iz as a moving image as shown in (b) or as a still image as shown in (c). The original image I ₀ and the zoom image Iz as a moving image were simultaneously displayed.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, as shown in FIG.
Light zoom means 11 and frame memory 1 in SC6
2 is provided for both the original image I ₀ and the zoom image Iz, and only one system is provided for each, so that FIG.
When the original image I ₀ and the zoom image Iz are displayed at the same time, the original image I ₀ is displayed as a still image, and the probe 1 is displayed on the surface of the subject while the zoom image Iz is displayed. When the display area is changed by moving, the current zoom image I
The portion displayed as z and the portion different from the zoom area Az in the original image I ₀ are displayed. That is, there is no correspondence between the zoom area Az and the zoom image Iz, and even if they are displayed at the same time as shown in FIG. 5C, the meaning is almost lost, and it cannot be said to be effective in image diagnosis. .

Therefore, the present invention addresses such a problem, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of simultaneously displaying a moving image of the original image and a moving image of the zoom image when zooming a specific area of the original image. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes a probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in a subject, and an ultrasonic wave driven by the probe. And an ultrasonic transceiver that amplifies the received reflected echo signal, a phasing circuit that inputs the received signal from this ultrasonic transceiver and focuses the beam, and a signal compression of the output signal from this phasing circuit. A detection circuit for performing envelope detection, an A / D converter for digitizing an output signal from the detection circuit, and writing and reading image data from the A / D converter into a storage means and displaying an image. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a digital scan converter for coordinate conversion into an image and a display device for displaying image data from the digital scan converter, As an internal configuration of the video converter, a plurality of light zoom means for averaging and thinning out image sample data corresponding to different display magnifications are provided, and a plurality of storage means for writing the thinned image data respectively are provided. The images of different display magnifications are simultaneously displayed as a moving image.

[0008]

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus constructed as described above, the sample data of images are averaged and thinned corresponding to different display magnifications by the light zoom means of a plurality of systems provided inside the digital scan converter. Similarly, the storage means provided in a plurality of systems operates to store the thinned image data. Thereby, for example, when zooming a specific area of the original image, the moving image of the original image and the moving image of the zoom image can be simultaneously displayed.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus obtains a tomographic image of a diagnostic region in a subject by using ultrasonic waves and zooms a specific area of an original image, for example, as shown in FIG. , An ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit 2, a phasing circuit 3, a detection circuit 4, an A / D converter 5, a digital scan converter (hereinafter referred to as "DSC").
6) and a display device 7.

The probe 1 mechanically or electronically performs beam scanning to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to a subject. Although not shown, it is a source of ultrasonic waves. In addition, a transducer that receives the reflected echo is built in.
The ultrasonic wave transmission / reception unit 2 drives the probe 1 to transmit ultrasonic waves and amplifies the received reflected echo signal. The ultrasonic wave transmission / reception unit 2 sends a transmission pulse to the probe 1 to transmit ultrasonic waves from the built-in transducer. It is composed of a wave transmission circuit 8 for generating a sound wave and a reception amplifier 9 for amplifying a reflected echo signal from the diagnostic region received by the transducer.

The phasing circuit 3 inputs the received signal amplified and output by the receiving amplifier 9 in the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving section 2 and focuses the beam. The detection circuit 4 performs signal compression and envelope detection on the output signal focused by the phasing circuit 3. Further, the A / D converter 5 is
The signal output from the detection circuit 4 is input and converted into a digital signal. Further, the DSC 6 inputs the image data from the A / D converter 5, writes and reads the image data in the internal storage means, and performs coordinate conversion for image display.

The display device 7 receives the image data output from the DSC 6 and displays it as an image. Although not shown, the display device 7 is a D / A converter for converting digital image data into an analog video signal. Bowl and this D /
A television monitor for inputting a video signal from the A converter and displaying an image. In FIG. 1, the control circuit 1
Reference numeral 0 controls the operation of each of the above-described components, and is composed of, for example, a CPU.

Here, in the present invention, the DSC 6 is used.
As the internal configuration of the above, a plurality of light zoom means are provided and a plurality of image data storage means are also provided. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the A / D converter 5
The image data from the image data are averaged and thinned out in accordance with different display magnifications, for example, first and second light zoom means 11a and 11b each including a line memory and an adder, and the images after thinning them out. First and second frame memories 12a and 12b for writing data, respectively, and a coordinate conversion circuit 13 for reading and converting the data of the frame memories 12a and 12b corresponding to the memory address of the display coordinate system, and the coordinate conversion. Spatial interpolation means 14 for performing pixel interpolation by
And the composite memory 15 for storing the image data for one frame by writing the image data after the pixel interpolation on the memory addresses corresponding to the respective display magnifications.

Next, the operation of zooming in and displaying a specific area of a certain original image in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus thus constructed will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First,
As shown in FIG. 3, the original image I as a moving image shown in FIG.
_With respect to ₀ , a specific zoom area Az and its display magnification are designated by sending a signal from the control circuit 10 shown in FIG. 1 to the coordinate conversion circuit 13 in the DSC 6 shown in FIG. Now, for example, the original image I ₀ has a magnification of 1 ×, and the zoom image Iz has a magnification of N ×. In this state, in FIG. 2, the image data output from the A / D converter 5 is averaged with sample data corresponding to different display magnifications by the first and second light zoom units 11a and 11b. Thinned out. At this time, for example, the original image I ₀ is averaged and thinned by the first light zoom means 11a, and the zoom image Iz is averaged and thinned by the second light zoom means 11b. After that, the image data decimated to the required state by the first and second light zoom means 11a and 11b are respectively the first and second frame memories 12a and 1a.
Written in 2b.

Next, by the coordinate conversion circuit 13 shown in FIG. 2, the original image I from each of the frame memories 12a and 12b corresponding to the address of the synthesis memory 15 of the display coordinate system.
_After reading ₀ and data of the zoom image Iz and performing pixel interpolation by coordinate conversion by the spatial interpolation means 14,
Each image is written on the address of the composition memory 15 corresponding to the display magnification of each image I ₀ , Iz. After one frame of image is stored in the composition memory 15, this image data is read out, sent to the display device 7, and displayed on the screen. As a result, as shown in FIG.
It is possible to display a moving image of the double zoom image Iz, or simultaneously display a moving image of the original image I ₀ having a magnification of 1 × and a moving image of the zoom image Iz having a magnification of N times as shown in (c). Note that FIG.
(D) shows a display example when a moving image of the reduced original image I ₀ ′ with a magnification of 1 / M and a moving image of a zoom image Iz with a magnification of N are displayed simultaneously.

Although FIG. 2 shows that the DSC 6 is provided with two systems of the light zoom means and two systems of the frame memory, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light zoom means is also the frame memory. Also, three or more systems may be provided, and three or more different display magnifications may be set so that the original image and the zoom image are displayed simultaneously as moving images. The present invention can be applied not only to B-mode images as ultrasonic tomographic images, but also to M-mode images, Doppler images, or color flow mapping (CFM) images.

[0017]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above,
A plurality of systems of light zoom means provided inside the DSC decimate image sample data corresponding to different display magnifications, and similarly a plurality of systems of storage means similarly decimate the image data after the decimating. Can be memorized. Thereby, for example, when zooming a specific area of the original image, the moving image of the original image and the moving image of the zoom image can be simultaneously displayed. Therefore, the portion currently displayed as the zoom image and the zoom area in the original image always have a correspondence relationship, and the image diagnosis can be smoothly performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an overall configuration showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention and a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a DSC in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an operation of zoom-displaying a specific region of an original image in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a DSC in a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation of zooming and displaying a specific area of an original image in the conventional apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... probe 2 ... ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 3 ... phasing circuit 4 ... detector circuit 5 ... A / D converter 6 ... DSC 7 ... display device 11a, 11b ... light zooming unit 12a, 12b ... frame memory I ₀ ... Original image Iz ... Zoom image

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from an object, an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit for driving the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves and amplifying a reflected echo signal received, and the ultrasonic wave. A phasing circuit for inputting the received signal from the transmitting / receiving section and focusing the beam, a detection circuit for performing signal compression and envelope detection for the output signal from this phasing circuit, and digitizing the output signal from this detection circuit. An A / D converter, a digital scan converter that writes and reads image data from the A / D converter into storage means, and performs coordinate conversion for image display, and a display that displays the image data from the digital scan converter In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including a device, as an internal configuration of the digital scan converter, image sample data corresponding to different display magnifications is provided. A plurality of light zoom means for averaging and thinning out the data are provided, and a plurality of storage means for writing the thinned image data respectively are provided so that a plurality of images with different display magnifications are simultaneously displayed as a moving image. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by: